February 4, 2012 - Exploring Kathmandu

My parents came today!!! They flew in through Doha, Qatar, and arrived around noon today. Their hotel picked them up at the airport, but Krista and I met them at their hotel after walking to Kathmandu from Patan. The walk from the guesthouse to Thamel (more touristy area of Kathmandu, located in the northeastern corner of the city) was only about a 90 minute walk. In order to get to Kathmandu, you have to cross the Bagmati River. The river was running very low, as it is dry season, but it was completely covered with trash and murky, dark water. Quite the contrast to the Nepali belief of priding oneself and one’s home with cleanliness.

After meeting up with Mommo and Daddo at their hotel and grabbing a quick bite to eat at their hotel, we went to visit the Garden of Dreams on the eastern side of Thamel. The Garden of Dreams is booked as “one of the most serene and beautiful enclaves in Kathmandu” (according to Lonely Planet, which is all-knowing…).

It was originally built in the 1920’s after a Nepali had visited estates in England. After this family passed away, the gardens suffered from a great deal of neglect; however, restoration began in 1998 and is not nearly fully restored to its original beauty.

Garden of Dreams is quite the haven from the loud, noisy, bustling streets of Kathmandu. The gardens are gorgeous, and it is a great way to get out of the craziness of the city and relax for a while. The ponds and gardens are also gorgeous, although they are much more “skummy” when closer (so don’t get too close…). After wandering around the grounds and through the small museum that shows “before and after” pictures, we had Chiya tea at the museum café. The menu and food looked delicious, too, but we were way too full from lunch to even consider eating anything at the time. We walked Mommo and Daddo back to their hotel (and only got lost one time!), then Krista and I did a bit more exploring in the shops around the city. It’s a lot to take in. Good thing I still have more than a month to spend more time exploring!